enstorrent AI Chips represents a Silicon Valley startup that focuses on artificial intelligence chips and has been founded by Apple and Intel veterans. Recently,
this AI chip startup stated that won a deal from the Japanese government in order to train about 200 chip designers from Japan in their U.S. offices for a five-year period.
The contract between the Japanese government and the startup has been announced today includes the fact that $50 million will be divided between the Tenstorrent chip startup and the Japan Semiconductor Technology Center. This training action represents a part of Japan’s plan to restore and revive the semiconductor industry.
It should be mentioned that back in 1980, the Japanese government controlled more than half of the global chip market, but currently, they have now less than 10% of the chip market.
Japan’s plan for the semiconductor industry is focused on Rapidus, which represents a contract that has billions of dollars in government banking. This contract aims to build advanced semiconductors in Japan in mass production by 2027.
So this Trenstorrent chip startup deal from Tuesday is focused on creating future customers since last year the AI chips startup has partnered with Rapidus in order to develop various designs to be made in its factory. Also, the idea of bringing Japanese engineers to U.S. chip offices focuses on spreading knowledge in Japan's semiconductor industry.
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"I think Japan's actions and their investments have clearly indicated that they want to be in more control of their own future,", the Chief Customer Office from Tenstorrent, David Bennet stated in an interview for Reuters.
As a result, in April 2025 Japanese engineers will start to work along with Tenstorrent AI chip startups and executives like Jim Keller and Wei-Han Lien. These two executives have also created chips for Apple, and the executive Yasuo Ishii, is a veteran of Arm Holdings.
It should be mentioned that the Tensttorent chip startup will retain the ownership of the chip blueprints that will be developed during the partnership. It is planets that will use RISC-V which represents a free and also open chip design technology.
After this partnership, it is believed that the Japanese engineers working with U.S. chips will obtain hands-on experience which later will make them capable of using the RISC-V designs in Japan.
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